


Home for Christmas

by orphan_account



Series: Christmas 2015 Song Prompts [17]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas Prompts 2015, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory - M/F/F, runaways - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 05:22:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5404589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma, Neal, and Lily find a place to stay for Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** I'll Be Home for Christmas  & Runaway Swan Thief 
> 
> Not that it actually matters too much, but just for reference, this is taking place in an AU I've never actually gotten around to writing where Lily and Emma ran away together at first and then ran into Neal a bit down the road and decided to be a thing. 
> 
> Also, while I was writing I was picturing the teen actors for all three so I tried to cater the dialogue to the way Ross/Munoz/Schmid play their characters as opposed to the adults. But whichever you prefer, I don't get too specific. 
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy today's fic:

The hardest part was finding a place to hide the bug. "Oh,  _come on,"_ Lily had insisted, "It's a row of summer cabins. Nobody's gonna be in. We can park right in front, no big deal."

"Isn't this sounding familiar." Emma mumbled, arms knit across her chest.

Lily leaned forward from the back seat, elbows on the center console, "Are you  _still_ holding that against me?"

Tapping cold fingers on the steering wheel, Neal twitched a brow. "Is she holding  _what_ against you?"

"Nothing," Emma muttered. "Let's just decide if we're gonna do this. I don't mind going to a shelter tonight."

"And I don't wanna split up. Neal's like, what, nineteen now? He can't go to a kid's shelter."

Neal shrugged as though he wasn't entirely sure himself.

"C'mon," Lily insisted. "It's Christmas eve. I want to spend it with my boyfriend," Lily smiled, ruffling the curls on Neal's head before turning to Emma and adding, " _And_ my girlfriend. Even if she's being a Grinch."

"Emma?" Neal asked tentatively, fitting himself into Good Cop for the situation, holding Emma's hand across the center. "What's wrong, babe?"

"Nothing." Emma shook her head, "I just don't think this is a good idea."

Lily popped up again from her place in the back eat. "We can actually heat up some food. Take a shower. Wash our clothes. This is a great idea."

"Emma," Neal returned to Good Cop after an appealing look from Lily. "When have we ever gotten into a situation we couldn't've gotten out of?"

" _Please,"_ Came the last appeal from Lily.

A lofty sigh and Emma threw up her hands. "Okay. Let's go jimmy a lock."

 

* * *

 

They got off lucky in the cabin they picked. The family who owned it didn't turn off the heat or water, just put them on low. It took no time at all for the teens to get to business, blaring the heat up and rummaging through the shelves to find non-perishables and a few slightly stale donuts that Emma was simply unable to resist that wouldn't be spoiling till January.

Once the cabin heated up relatively well, they made use of the washing machine and dryer. Lily pulled some underwear she'd stolen from Wal-Mart out of her jacket and, rotating through the shower cycle, settled in for a night that, perhaps, might actually be relaxing. Sitting on the couch with a bowl of soup burning her knees, Emma ran a hand through her hair to get it to dry any faster. The cabin was nice. Most definitely only fitted for summer, someone rich lived there; it looked like a Pottery Barn catalogue. But it kept the snow out. A hand lingered between Emma's shoulder blades and she turned about to see Neal. He smiled at her and hopped over the arm of the couch.

"Everything good?" He asked.

Emma nodded. "I guess. It's just the farthest we've gotten. I don't want to do something dumb and go back to square one."

"We won't. We've been in plenty of dodgy places and we've always come out fine. Let's just do something...nice. Here," He paused for a moment before ripping out the inside cover of a nearby book and sketching something on it. Emma watched over his shoulders, the patterns and sketch marks under Neal's hand. A Christmas tree. "It's something."

"I think Lily'll be happier to see it than me."

"Don't like Christmas?"

"Never really had one. At least not like it's  _supposed to be."_ Emma shrugged, curling her legs under herself. The heat was blaring but it was still a little cold to be wandering around with next to nothing on.

Neal put his arms around her shoulders. "Me neither. I guess that's just a Lilly thing."

"It'd be nice if it could be an us thing too," Emma admitted, swinging her arm back ground Neal to complete the embrace.

"We can always pretend. Imagine we're home at Christmas, with a real tree and turkey and everything. I used to dream about stuff like that all the time."

Emma smiled. "Pretend it's like a card."

From behind them, they heard a scoff. Lily dived over the back of the couch, tumbling onto both of their laps. "You'd be surprised how awful picket fences can be."

Neal shrugged. "We can find a way to make it work for all three of us."

"Someday." Emma replied, tucking a lock of dripping black hair behind Lily's ear. "But for now, this...this is good."

If nothing else it was better than being tossed around in the system.

Lily grinned so wide it made her nose wrinkle. "Really?" She asked breathlessly, lurching up on both of their laps, wrapping her arms around Emma's neck and smiling into a series of breathless kisses. "Merry Christmas."

"You too." Emma laughed and pressed back before tugging at the base of Neal's neck to bring him closer. "Get in here, you."


End file.
